ACLU Comment on Mueller Charges in Russian Probe to Depress the Vote of African Americans and Muslims

WASHINGTON — The grand jury indictment that Special Counsel Robert Mueller obtained today against Russian organizations and individuals details specific examples of Russian agents using social media, “to encourage U.S. minority groups not to vote in the 2016 U.S. presidential election or to vote for a third-party U.S. presidential candidate.” Posing as African-American or American Muslim activists, the Russian agents allegedly used these false flags to urge voters to not vote, to join in “boycotting elections today,” or vote for a third-party candidate.

Christopher Anders, American Civil Liberties Union deputy director of its Washington Legislative Office, said:

“The grand jury indictment of Russian agents details a broad conspiracy to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Buried literally in the middle of the indictment is a paragraph that should jar every American committed to the long fight for voting rights. The Russians allegedly masqueraded as African-American and American Muslim activists to urge minority voters to abstain from voting in the 2016 election or to vote for a third-party candidate.

“The alleged Russian campaign to depress turnout of minority voters is wrong. Both the special counsel and Congress should investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian agents in this alleged targeting of minority voters in 2016. Such actions, if proven, would be criminal.”